Yoho opposed to military action against Syria

Published: Wednesday, September 4, 2013 at 10:14 p.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, September 4, 2013 at 10:14 p.m.

Rep. Ted Yoho, R-Gainesville, said Wednesday evening that a day's worth of debate in Congress did nothing to soften his opposition to military action in Syria.

Emerging from a hearing before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Yoho said he could not support military action unless the U.S. was directly threatened or its allies were attacked by a foreign aggressor.

Calling the Syrian government's reported use of chemical weapons on its political opponents "reprehensible," Yoho said the conflict there remains a civil war and the United States has no right to intervene.

"I do not see a direct threat to U.S. security from the civil war in Syria," he said on a conference call with reporters. "If we were to (attack) ... this would be an act of aggression on a sovereign nation that did not attack us. I don't think it's constitutional."

Yoho acknowledged that, principle aside, he isn't convinced President Bashar al-Assad's government has used chemical weapons. He said he took part in a classified briefing Tuesday in which military officials conceded they could not say with complete certainty that chemical weapons were deployed. He said the lack of certainty reminded him of the 2003 decision to invade Iraq based on erroneous information about weapons of mass destruction. He doesn't want to repeat that mistake, he said.

"It would be an act of war, and I don't want to go there," Yoho said. "Our young men and women have been through enough in the last 11 years."

<p>Rep. Ted Yoho, R-Gainesville, said Wednesday evening that a day's worth of debate in Congress did nothing to soften his opposition to military action in Syria.</p><p>Emerging from a hearing before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Yoho said he could not support military action unless the U.S. was directly threatened or its allies were attacked by a foreign aggressor.</p><p>Calling the Syrian government's reported use of chemical weapons on its political opponents "reprehensible," Yoho said the conflict there remains a civil war and the United States has no right to intervene.</p><p>"I do not see a direct threat to U.S. security from the civil war in Syria," he said on a conference call with reporters. "If we were to (attack) ... this would be an act of aggression on a sovereign nation that did not attack us. I don't think it's constitutional."</p><p>Yoho acknowledged that, principle aside, he isn't convinced President Bashar al-Assad's government has used chemical weapons. He said he took part in a classified briefing Tuesday in which military officials conceded they could not say with complete certainty that chemical weapons were deployed. He said the lack of certainty reminded him of the 2003 decision to invade Iraq based on erroneous information about weapons of mass destruction. He doesn't want to repeat that mistake, he said.</p><p>"It would be an act of war, and I don't want to go there," Yoho said. "Our young men and women have been through enough in the last 11 years."</p>